Hougang Central Bus Interchange

Hougang Central Bus Interchange is a bus station located at Hougang Central, serving residential areas around Hougang, Buangkok and Kovan.

The interchange is located at Blk 840 Hougang Central, along the road of the same name, Hougang Central. The sheltered concourse building connects directly to Hougang MRT Station (Exit A). Nearby public amenities include Aljunied-Hougang Town Council, Hougang Mall, Kang Kar Mall and The Midtown.

Currently, SBS Transit is the anchor operator of Hougang Central Bus Interchange. With the rollout of the Bus Contracting Model (BCM), the future operator of the Sengkang – Hougang Bus Package will take over as anchor operator of this interchange.

There are plans to build a new Integrated Transport Hub (ITH) in Hougang, possibly replacing this interchange in the future.

The Interchange

Hougang Central Bus Interchange is a bus station located in the residential town of Hougang. Connecting with Hougang MRT Station along the North East MRT Line, the interchange is a transport node for commuters heading in and out of town, allowing for convenient transfers between the rail network and the many bus services at the interchange.

Hougang Central Bus Interchange – Bus Park

The interchange has a single vehicular concourse area with a combined entrance and exit leading to Hougang Central. The interchange concourse, comprising a linear alighting berth and five sawtooth berths, wraps around the bus park.

The interchange concourse has pedestrian entrance/exits located on all sides. A pair of bus stops along Hougang Central allows for easy transfer to passing-by bus services that do not call at the interchange. All berths at the interchange are wheelchair-accessible.

An expansion of Hougang Central Bus Interchange was constructed west of the current interchange and opened on 11 January 2017.

Historical Background

1981: Hougang Bus Interchange opens at Hougang Street 21

1994: Hougang Central Bus Interchange opens

1998: Interchange moved to Temporary facility for NEL construction

2001: Amended back to original site

2004: Hougang South Bus Interchange closes

Prior to Hougang Central Bus Interchange, several smaller bus terminals existed in the area since the 1970s. The first was a bus terminal at Upper Serangoon Road 10.5km (formerly 6½ miles, and near the present-day junction with Tampines Road) serving Services 85 and 111. Another was located at Upper Serangoon Road (End) (near the present-day junction with Upper Serangoon View) serving Services 74, 84, 136, 147, 153 prior to the construction of Sengkang Town. Tampines Way (present-day Hougang Avenue 3 north of Tampines Road) opened in the late-1970s for Service 86, and a temporary Hougang Street 21 roadside terminal for Service 321.

Layout of old Hougang Bus Interchange along Hougang Street 21

On 30 October 1983, Hougang Bus Interchange opened along Hougang Street 21, the site of the former Hougang Town Centre. It absorbed bus services previously terminating at nearby bus terminals. The compound was over 14,000 square metres and featured 34 boarding and alighting berths.

As Hougang New Town expanded further north, a new town center was being constructed further north at Hougang Central, along with with a new bus interchange. The older Hougang Interchange at Street 21 would have to be demolished. However, the proposal was met with strong objections and this delayed closure of the old interchange.

On 17 December 1994, Hougang Central Bus Interchange opened. The new, spacious 1.3 ha interchange was built at a cost of $5.7 million, featuring air-conditioned crew rest areas and a canteen. The pyramid-shaped roof thrusts were unique in design, and two skylights were incorporated into the design for more natural lighting within the interchange. That same day, the existing Hougang Bus Interchange was renamed to Hougang South Bus Interchange.

To make way for the construction of Hougang MRT station along the North-East Line, Hougang Central Bus Interchange was partially closed on 24 May 1998, with existing services 84, 97, 111, 153, 165 and 325 relocated to Hougang Central Temporary Bus Terminal at the junction of Hougang Central / Upper Serangoon Road where no boarding and alighting activities were allowed. Services 74, 147, 501 and 502 continued to use the existing bus interchange. All services were relocated back to Hougang Central Bus Interchange on 20 May 2001.

Gradually, services were rerouted away from Hougang South Interchange and operations finally ceased on 15 February 2004, several months after the opening of the North-East Line. The end-on berths on the west side have been cleared to make way for a HDB carpark, while the sawtooth berths and parking lots at the east side still remain operational. The interchange continues to operate as a bus stop for services 112, 113 115 and 119, under the bus stop name Hougang St 21 FC.

Feeder bus services:

329 would later be withdrawn and integrated with 323, and 323 was later withdrawn due to low demand. With only 321, 322, 326, 327 and 328 left in 2004, 321 and 326 were combined into a new route 113 while 322 and 327 were combined into a new route 112. 328 was renumbered to 101 and extended to Serangoon, while 112 and 113 started from Hougang Central. 325 would later be introduced from Hougang Central and remains to be the only feeder bus route from Hougang Central until 2014, where Feeder 324 was introduced under the Bus Service Enhancement Scheme (BSEP) to loop at Upper Serangoon Cres. Feeder service 329 was also introduced under BSEP in 2017.

Hougang Central Bus Interchange – NTWU Canteen and tables

Interchange facilities:

Passenger Service Offices (SBS Transit)

Add Value Machine (AVM+)

Drivers lounge

NTWU Canteen

Boarding and alighting berths

Information boards & Bus arrival display screen

Retail outlets

Service guide rack

Toilets

SBS Transit has a Passenger Service Office which is open throughout the day and handles commuter inquiries.

Bus Services:

All services are under the Sengkang – Hougang Bus Package with the exception of Services 74, 74e and 147 under the Clementi Bus Package

Hougang Central Bus Interchange Expansion

Hougang Central Bus Interchange Expansion: Completed expansion days before opening. Additional lots are expected to be painted over the old exit lanes

In April 2015, LTA called for a tender to expand the existing Hougang Central Bus Interchange. The current 1.3ha interchange would be expanded by another 0.3ha, with a further 11 parking spaces added to the current 48 parking lots. The expanded concourse will allow for about 4 to 5 new bus services under BSEP. The construction tender (RD305 – Expansion of Bus Interchanges) was awarded to BSI (1990) Pte. Ltd. for a fee of S$12.5 million in February 2016.

The interchange expansion is located at the empty grass patch west of the current interchange, along Hougang Central beside Block 838. It opened on 11 January 2017.

Hougang Central Bus Interchange Expansion – Completed expansion days after opening. Additional lots are being painted over the old exit lanes